Unai Emery drops Mustafi exit hint

Mesut Ozil and Sead Kolasinac not making the trip to Newcastle due to safety concerns dominated the Arsenal team selection news, meaning that the exclusion of another senior pro went fairly unnoticed.

Shkodran Mustafi was not even on the bench in Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Newcastle on Sunday.

Despite being fit and available for selection having played a full part in preseason, Emery’s decision to leave the experienced German out indicates that Mustafi is not part of his future plans.

Emery opted to start Calum Chambers alongside Sokratis in the heat of Arsenal’s defence. Chambers was exceptional on loan at Fulham last season – but played the majority of the season in defensive midfield.

David Luiz was the only defender selected on the bench.

With Laurent Koscielny gone, and Arsenal without the services of Rob Holding, Hector Bellerin, Kieran Tierney and Saed Kolasinac, Emery decided not to have Mustafi on the bench despite a lack of other options.

With the transfer window still open across Europe, expect Mustafi to leave the club in the next couple of weeks.